


In Which Sherlock Holmes is a Criminal Mastermind

by DoctorTrekLock



Series: AU-gust 2020 [12]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Crime AU, Criminal AU, Criminal Mastermind Sherlock Holmes, Detective Moriarty, Gen, Interpol Agent Irene Adler, Mathematician Moriarty, No 1 Henchman John Watson, Organized Crime Boss Lestrade, reverse!verse, sherlock makes tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25869472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorTrekLock/pseuds/DoctorTrekLock
Summary: “We’re going to need to burn Agra.”John looked up from his laptop. “Agra? Why Agra? Didn’t that just get off the ground week before last?”Sherlock huffed but didn’t look away from the window. “Moriarty’s caught on quicker than I thought. He’s already looking into the 1892 Livingstone fraud. He’ll be researching the Gloucester murders next, and then he’ll have figured it out. Better to cut it off now and have all the loose ends tidied up before he gets near.”“I guess so,” John sighed. “You want me to--”“No,” Sherlock dismissed. “Get Lestrade to do it. He might as well be useful, if he’s going to insist on sitting at the table.”
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Series: AU-gust 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870924
Kudos: 24





	In Which Sherlock Holmes is a Criminal Mastermind

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted August 12, 2020 on [Tumblr](https://doctortreklock.tumblr.com/post/626291768090050560/au-gust-12-crime-au)
> 
> Inspired by a combination of BBC Sherlock and Doyle's canon. The original Moriarty was actually a professor of mathematics in addition to being a criminal mastermind. I guess every villain needs a day job. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“We’re going to need to burn Agra.”

John looked up from his laptop. “Agra? Why Agra? Didn’t that just get off the ground week before last?”

Sherlock huffed but didn’t look away from the window. “Moriarty’s caught on quicker than I thought. He’s already looking into the 1892 Livingstone fraud. He’ll be researching the Gloucester murders next, and then he’ll have figured it out. Better to cut it off now and have all the loose ends tidied up before he gets near.”

“I guess so,” John sighed. “You want me to--”

“No,” Sherlock dismissed. “Get Lestrade to do it. He might as well be useful, if he’s going to insist on sitting at the table.”

“He’s not going to like it,” John warned him. “You know how he got about that mess on Bedford Row.”

Sherlock snorted derisively and turned to stalk back across the flat. “That was his own fault. He can’t run a crew that manages to thoroughly botch such a simple job and then turn around and expect me to clean up after him.”

He vanished into the kitchen, and John could hear muted clanking as Sherlock put the kettle on. “Tea, John?” he called.

“Sure,” John answered. “I’ll take a cuppa.” He squinted at the text on his screen. Once you got past the unimaginative threats and even more unimaginative cursing, it seemed to be rather straightforward.

“Gregson thinks he’s got a line on a new avenue for international expansion, but he’s can’t get any more details with that Interpol agent sitting on him,” John said, raising his voice so Sherlock could hear him.

He got a hum in response.

“He sounds rather keen on her, really,” John admitted. “Thinks he might be able to flip her.”

That earned him a scoff, even audible over the kettle’s whistling. “Gregson is a hack,” Sherlock said as the whistling stopped, and John heard the sound of pouring water. “If Adler’s got him thinking she’d be willing, he’s a fool. Oh, she’ll play both sides happily, but it won’t ever benefit anyone but herself.”

“So what are we going to do now that Agra’s off the table?” John asked.

“Simple,” Sherlock said, reappearing in the doorway, two teacups in hand. “Here you are, John. We’re going to green light Scarlet.”

John clutched his teacup. “Scarlet?” he asked incredulously, forgetting to thank Sherlock. “You mean the same Scarlet that you dropped two years ago because Moriarty was this close to catching us red handed? That Scarlet?”

“The very same,” Sherlock said, sinking into the couch with his teacup and a self-satisfied smile.

“But... _why_?” John was at a loss for words. He reflexively took a sip of his tea. It was quite good; Sherlock always managed to steep it just long enough and add just the right amount of sugar.

“ _Because_ , John,” Sherlock said patiently. “That was two years ago and is thus a safe enough target for a limited run. Enough to make us at least 250 million pounds before he catches on.”

“I don’t understand,” John admitted.

“Moriarty is a mathematician, first and foremost,” Sherlock explained, taking a deep drink of his own tea. “He won’t rely on his gut instinct the way that many other officers would, partially because he has never cultivated such an instinct, and partially because he believes that the proper interpretation of mathematical models will always be able to derive the correct solution. If the correct solution has not been found, it does not mean that his models are incorrect, merely that they are incomplete.”

He smiled smugly. “And that is why we will always win. We need only stay four or five steps ahead. That way, when Moriarty believes himself to be three steps ahead of us, we still come out the victors.”

John nodded slowly. “And when he actually is three steps ahead of us?”

Sherlock’s smile grew wider and distinctly predatory. “Then the real fun begins.”


End file.
